Amazon S3
Scalable object storage service for unlimited data storage and retrieval with high durability and availability
Garage
S3-compatible geo-distributed object storage for small-scale self-hosting
Lightweight, resilient object storage service designed for multi-location deployment. Replicates data across physical sites and maintains availability during node failures.
Overview
Distributed Storage for Self-Hosters
Garage is an S3-compatible object storage service engineered specifically for small-to-medium scale self-hosted infrastructure. Unlike traditional object stores that assume datacenter-grade networking, Garage excels in geo-distributed environments where nodes run at different physical locations with varying network reliability.
Built in Rust, Garage prioritizes lightweight operation and resilience. It automatically replicates data across locations and maintains service availability even when individual servers become unreachable. The system is designed to tolerate machine failures gracefully, making it ideal for infrastructure assembled from commodity hardware or distributed home servers.
Developed and battle-tested by Deuxfleurs—a small-scale experimental hosting collective—Garage has been running in production environments since 2020. Its architecture focuses on operational simplicity, reducing the complexity typically associated with distributed storage systems while delivering S3 API compatibility for seamless integration with existing tools and workflows.
Whether you're building a personal cloud, running a small hosting cooperative, or need resilient backup infrastructure across multiple sites, Garage provides enterprise-grade data durability without enterprise-grade operational overhead.
Highlights
S3-compatible API for seamless integration with existing tools and applications
Geo-distributed architecture with automatic cross-location data replication
Lightweight Rust implementation optimized for resource-constrained environments
High availability design that tolerates node and network failures gracefully
Pros
- Purpose-built for multi-location deployments with unreliable networking
- Low operational complexity compared to enterprise object storage solutions
- Production-proven since 2020 by real-world self-hosting infrastructure
- Resilient to hardware failures without requiring specialized equipment
Considerations
- Optimized for small-to-medium scale rather than massive enterprise deployments
- AGPLv3 license requires source disclosure for modified network services
- Smaller ecosystem and community compared to established cloud-native solutions
- Documentation and tooling may be less comprehensive than commercial alternatives
Managed products teams compare with
When teams consider Garage, these hosted platforms usually appear on the same shortlist.
Looking for a hosted option? These are the services engineering teams benchmark against before choosing open source.
Fit guide
Great for
- Self-hosters running infrastructure across multiple physical locations
- Small hosting cooperatives needing resilient shared storage
- Organizations building geo-redundant backup systems on commodity hardware
- Teams wanting S3 compatibility without cloud vendor lock-in
Not ideal when
- Large-scale enterprise deployments requiring petabyte-scale capacity
- Single-location setups where simpler storage solutions suffice
- Organizations requiring commercial support contracts and SLAs
- Projects needing proprietary modifications without source disclosure
How teams use it
Multi-Site Personal Cloud
Replicate photos, documents, and backups across home, office, and remote locations with automatic failover when any site goes offline.
Cooperative Hosting Infrastructure
Enable small hosting collectives to pool storage resources across member locations while maintaining data availability and durability.
Geo-Redundant Application Storage
Provide S3-compatible object storage for self-hosted applications with built-in cross-region replication without cloud provider costs.
Distributed Backup System
Create resilient backup infrastructure that survives site-level failures by automatically distributing data across geographic locations.
Tech snapshot
Rust94%
Clojure2%
Shell2%
Nix1%
Python1%
Smarty1%
Frequently asked questions
What scale is Garage designed for?
Garage targets small-to-medium deployments, typically self-hosted infrastructure or small service providers. It prioritizes operational simplicity and geo-distribution over massive scale.
Is Garage compatible with existing S3 tools?
Yes, Garage implements the S3 API, allowing integration with standard S3 clients, backup tools, and applications without modification.
How does Garage handle network partitions between locations?
Garage is designed to maintain availability during network failures. Data remains accessible from reachable nodes, and the system reconciles when connectivity is restored.
What are the hardware requirements?
Garage is lightweight and runs on commodity hardware. Its Rust implementation keeps resource usage low, making it suitable for modest servers or even home lab equipment.
How mature is Garage for production use?
Garage has been used in production by Deuxfleurs since 2020. While proven for small-scale deployments, evaluate whether its scale and community fit your risk tolerance.
Project at a glance
Active- Stars
- 2,576
- Watchers
- 2,576
- Forks
- 104
LicenseAGPL-3.0
Repo age4 years old
Last commityesterday
Self-hostingSupported
Primary languageRust
Last synced 3 hours ago